Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Well, folks, here in the USA, it’s almost Thanksgiving. We’re not as punctual about it as some other countries, but we try our best. And on my end, I have a lot to be thankful for. Not the least of which is you guys.

I’m really lucky to have such a kind collection of readers (I need a better word to refer to everyone as. “Readers” seems so drab, and you guys need a better word than that.) There are Wednesdays when I get home from work, I’ve had a god-awful day, and yet, I get home and see what sweet things folks have said about the comic update, and lemme tell you, it really helps. Like any artist, I have my periods of , well… we’ll call it “exceptionally low self esteem.” However, then someone does something awesome. I get a comment saying a friend recommended the comic to them and they like it, or someone says they enjoyed the artist’s comments on one of the pages, or someone donates (sometimes even though the jar is ‘full!’) or sends a pleasant note, or just clicks that +fave button. It’s things like that that let me know that I’m not just tossing pennies into the well, as it were, and that folks do care about what I’m doing, even if just a little bit.

I’ll be honest with you guys: I don’t know if I could have kept this up this long if it weren’t for the support you guys give me.

Yay for emotional triggers! I was glad when folks noticed that Faith was occasionally showing little bits of wolfy traits now and again in Layline, like the slight, momentary claws when she was freaking out about how ‘monsters’ and humans could end up mating, or the little fangs she had when Todd first showed up, and such. I hoped it would give folks a wee little head’s up for when this (finally) happened.

And, as usual, I have a wee bit of extra info for you, on werewolves and emotions. Now, in terms of old folklore, I’ve yet to really come across much in terms of emotions causing werewolves to shift (Though, parallels between berserker rages and werewolves can be drawn, of course).

However, there is some nonfiction context here, from a criminal case in 1988-9. Within Bordeaux, France, a horrible murder took place, and a twenty-eight year old male, along with another male and a female friend were suspects. As it turns out, the young man beat the victim to death in a ‘wild rage,’ using nothing more than his bare hands. This, in and of itself is not that unusual for a violent homicide.

It wasn’t until the prison psychiatrist Professor Michel Benezech saw the man did things get interesting. The man told the doctor “When I suffer an emotional shock, I feel myself undergoing a transformation… I have the impression of becoming a wolf, as I look at myself in the mirror, I can see myself transforming.”

Thinking this was made up on the spot, his female friend was questioned, and she commented that in their relationship, he often howled like a wolf, and slept lightly, like a wild animal. He had even bitten her on several occasions. Curiously, his arms were covered in scars, a trait similar to Pierre and Georges Gandillion, werewolves of Jura, who in turn matched Paulos Aegina’s description of a lycanthropist pretty well.

The man in custody, after much study, was finally diagnosed with medical lycanthropy. And while the focus of stories about this fellow focus on his horrible behavior, his admittance that his delusional transformations can be triggered by emotional shock is the part I find most interesting, as you can all certainly tell by now.

Please also read:

The Beast Within --Adam Douglas
The Secret life of Ghosts and Werewolves --BBC Television

The Book of Werewolves --Sabine Baring-Gould
Werewolves, Witches, and Wandering Spirits --Kathryn Edwards
The Werewolf in Lore and Legend --Montague Summers
A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture --Charlotte Otten

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Woo. double post, since I was away on a little field trip last week. I left on Halloween Night and just got back. Halloween is a busy time for me, and I’ve been making some time to visit a haunt or two, because dang, does it feel great to prowl through them XD You know, the first haunt I ever went to was a haunted museum… which, well, really, it was a wax museum of horror figures. I was tiny and it was eerily lit, so it was scary as could be. However, what I remember most was an open coffin, and inside the red velvet lined box was a pale vampire with blood trickling from its lips. When you’re like, five, that’s scary stuff right there. So, of course, I had to include a similar wax vampire in Eldritch.

Well, folks, I think I’m going to grab my bag of Gummy Werewolves and my Werewolf Fur cotton candy, cuddle up with a good werewolf movie, my pencil and paper, and work on the next page!

Ahhh, October. I miss you already. I adore the warm days followed by crisp nights, the smell of dried corn stalks and warm apple cider. And I adore the haunts.

When I was a kid, the smell of artificial fog gave me a headache, and made me queasy. Now I ADORE it because I associate it with haunted houses and trails. I love them so much… I’m a wee little bit of an adrenalin junkie, so haunts and roller coasters are like a breath of fresh air to me. Thus I’m lucky that the nearest amusement park combines both for the Halloween season. But, of course, I also visit local haunts. There’s one that’s actually close enough to hear sometimes, and it’s always amusing to me to be gathering some herbs for spaghetti or whatever, look up to see the full moon, and distant hear cries and screams followed by the faint roar of a chainsaw. It’ll shoot a thrill through ya.